On Sunday, the 20th of November, The Princess Royal attended an anniversary concert at the Cheltenham Town Hall in Gloucestershire. The concert was held in honour of the 70th anniversary of the Cheltenham Bach Choir.
The highlight of the evening were works by two of the 18th centuries finest composers; Handel’s Dixit Dominus, composed when he was just 22 years-old, and Mozart’s final work, the Requiem. The concert also comprised of a solo by mezzo-soprano Kate Wolveridge, and a Biblical duet with her compatriot, Llio Evans. Conductor David Crown superbly directed the Choir through the show, with instrumental backing by the Regency Sinfonia.
Princess Anne took the time to meet and chat with other concert-goers, some of whom took to Twitter to comment about how lovely it was to meet the royal.
The Cheltenham Bach Choir was founded in 1946 and remains one of the most prominent choral societies in the South West of England. The Choir performs regularly at Cheltenham Town Hall, Gloucester Cathedral, Tewkesbury Abbey, and other surrounding venues, and presents at least three major concerts a year, along with one or two Christmas concerts in local churches. The Choir presented a similar concert in Gloucester Cathedral in 2006, for their 60th anniversary, with a performance of Bach’s St Matthew Passion.
The Choir currently has over one hundred singing members, who study and perform a wide variety of music ranging from the 16th to the 21st centuries. The Cheltenham Bach Choir has been invited to take part in many notable events, including Carmina Burana at the BBC Proms, an Opera Gala in Symphony Hall, and the Cheltenham International Music Festival.
Apart from the anniversary concert, the Choir will feature in a host of commemorative events to mark 70 years since their first practice, including a musical celebration of Christmas in the Cheltenham College Chapel.
Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal is patron of the Cheltenham Bach Choir.